Israeli actor and flight instructor Guy Kapulnik, 46, and his passenger Taylor Laska, 33, were killed when the single-engine aircraft he was piloting crashed into a field in California last Thursday. The aircraft came down near Hesperia Airport in San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles.
Emergency response and identification
Emergency services were called to the area of Summit Valley Road and Telephone Canyon Road shortly before 10am local time (6pm BST). The aircraft was found in a brush-covered field, and both occupants were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
The San Bernardino County Coroner's Office has formally identified Kapulnik, from Los Angeles, as the pilot and Laska, from Santa Monica, as the passenger.
Investigation and aircraft details
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the crash. The FAA said the aircraft was an Aeronca Champion, a small single-engine aircraft. The plane was owned by Midfield Aviation, a flight school based at nearby Apple Valley Airport.
Tributes to Kapulnik
Kapulnik's family described him in a tribute as "a man of action, curiosity and adventure". They added: "An actor and creator, a skipper and seaman. Throughout his life, he moved between the stage and the camera, the sea and the skies, and dared again and again to choose new paths and do the things he loved."
He appeared in a number of Israeli films and television productions, including Room 514, Salsa Tel Aviv, Watch Over Me and Lebanon, according to movie database IMDb. Kapulnik moved from Israel to Los Angeles with his family several years ago and worked as a flight instructor while continuing his acting career, according to Israeli media reports.
Kapulnik's former acting agent, Zohar Jacobson, paid tribute to him, saying: "Guy was a talented actor and an extraordinary person. He was intelligent, sensitive and modest, with a huge heart."
